Desicritics Author: Ramya Kumaraswamy

Is Internet Addiction Harmful?

Ramya Kumaraswamy — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:48:03 EDT

Internet addiction is harmful, says one US study as reported by Reuters and Yahoo! News

According to the study "adults these days do not admit to the amount of time they spend online." The study has been completed by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California and states "...One in 8 adults admitted they needed to spend less time online, saying this showed "problematic Internet use" is present in a sizable portion of the population."

So what exactly is the problem here, the fact that adults spend too much time online or the fact that they are unwilling to admit to it?

Sure consumers spend time online, sure they surf the Web when they can go out biking/skiing/running, and sure sometimes they even look up random bits of information that bear no relevance to anything. But, my question is, what exactly is the problem with all of that?

Re-runs, washed out movies (for the most part) and canned news segments, don't really leave consumers much of an option, do they? Why else would reality shows and garage-run businesses like YouTube command billions of dollars for entertainment content that is truly "by the people and for the people" (pardon, Mr. Lincoln)?

The media landscape is changing, and all the better for it.

No matter what you want to call it--Web 2.0, social networking, blogging, digital reinvention, or just plain old surfing--the truth of the matter is, consumers are done with being told what they should be watching, listening or buying. They want to find out for themselves, and the journey to getting there makes the experience enjoyable for them. If it means running into people with similar interests in chat forums, a lone online ranger who saves a novice buyer from paying too much, or even blogging about pertinent issues people care and want to talk about, then so be it!

Who's to say whether all this spending time online is a good thing or bad thing?

Sure we spend more hours online than with friends and family, sure we spend hours glued to the tube, but does all this "virtual living" make us vacuous and brain dead? Surely we are better equipped with having the world of information available at a single mouse-click/keystroke? Agreed, sometimes all this information blinds us and prevents us from stepping back and taking a holistic picture as we get bogged down with knowing the exact wingspan of a moth or the lifecycle of a rare fish. But, for the major part no one can argue that in this day and age, having information (no matter how vague) is better than not having it.

On one end of the spectrum, sharp businesses look for ways to reach audiences using the same tools they use, visiting the same sites they visit and enticing them into buying things they probably don't need. While at the other end, anthropologists and communication experts continue to theorize and lament on the detrimental societal effects of the online culture like the lack of inter-personal communication, and the declining importance of non-verbal cues that differentiate human communication from the rest of the animal kingdom. But these experts have been predicting an inglorious death every time a new medium comes around. The radio was seen as the end of print, the TV portended the end of radio, blah blah. With these experts predicting doom at one end and marketers looking for ways to make a quick buck with these media, consumers, as always have to look out for themselves.

Human behavior has never been one dimensional and given to easy solutions and the effect of the Internet on our behavioral pattern is no different.

All this chatter reminds me of some of the essays we were given in school about "Is television a boon or a bane for society?" We never quite answered that one. Do we need another round of the same?

Is Creativity Dead?

Ramya Kumaraswamy — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 00:23:29 EDT

Where are the Picassos, the Dalis, the Da Vincis?
Where are the Shakespeares, the Hemmingways, the Shelleys?
Where are the Nietzsches, the Freuds, the Einsteins?

Has our society killed them all?

Innovation and creativity are but mere words that people bat around with nothing substantial to prove. Fashion's gone retro, as has music. More and more kids read classics and movie houses and architects look to the past for inspiration.

We are for the most part, barring the phone tappings, pretexting and the random searchings, free individuals living in an era and society where leaders of the "free" world brand undemocratic and totalitarian rulers as "devils" and wage battles of crusade-like proportions to safeguard "democracy" and "free-will". Then where are the "free" artists celebrating this individual freedom? Where are the "free" writers who enunciate and record the victories and losses of these wars, wars that have continue to be waged to safeguard the "individual"?

Cultural, societal and behavioral boundaries have started to blur with acceptance and adoption of new ideas and norms.

Barring the Net Neutrality debate, the Internet ensures for anyone with an opinion, a computer and typing skills, a blank canvas that can paint vivid, moving art forms and voice the most controversial ideas. All this can be possible without fear of retribution or rebuke, because a masked IP address and an avid online following ensures political immunity that even iron-fisted governments find very hard to challenge. This uniform accessibility has populated the Internet with more than 50 million blogs (as recorded by Technorati), with a growing fraction of this number rising to the surface and gaining prominence as influencers and opinion leaders.

Shouldn't such a "free" climate spark creative brilliance? Or do we need oppression and discontent with law/religion and society to provide us with an impetus for artistic outpouring? Fear of public outrage almost does not exist, non-conformity is the new popular mantra, and controversy has a premium price tag attached to its shock value. No wonder we apparently live in a faux-artsy period with canned, refurbished "innovations and expressions" to celebrate ourselves.

The 20th/21st century society is all about the individual--technology buffers it, societal pressure reinforces it and rabid attention deficit disorder ensures we collectively move on with fish-like memories. What will it take to make us care--to stop and think, to dwell and rage, to bleed and cry?

It is scary to think we offer nothing for posterity other than the Internet and Google.

Prove me wrong all ye bleeding heart liberals in the woodwork...prove me wrong.

Increasing Share of the Small Business Market

Ramya Kumaraswamy — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 15:40:37 EDT

Intel has started blogging. Yet another blue-chip to join the ever increasing blogging diaspora. As Paul Walker, an expert on digital media remarks in his blog Zone Read, Intel's blog is an effort to talk about the latest magic recipes from its labs.

With consumer generated media jostling for importance and revenue dollars, its not just advertisers who have started worrying about losing their ginormous share of the profit pie. It's also big businesses who are awakening to the possibility of small and medium size companies taking away the little dollar gnomes from their banks. The Internet and CGM has made it just as easy for Jen Shmo to reach out to her main stream and online customer influencers and opinion leaders, as for business giants. Why else would Intel a predominantly B2B company want to reach out and hold its customers' hands and lead them online through the amazing possibilities in its labs and campuses around the world?

A recent article in BusinessWeek talked about the new B2B marketing courses around the country, and is proof of big businesses waking up to the realization that the changing communication landscape will mean throwing some of the old-school marketing ideas out of the window, and quickly adapting to the rising importance of the digital media. As big businesses struggle to adapt to such revolutionary changes within their expansive spread globally, the playing field has leveled for small businesses.

The Bay area is home to the largest number of small businesses, approximately just under 200,000 as quoted by the San Jose Mercury News and the Wells Fargo small business survey in November 2005. The Bay area is ideal for increasing investment in small businesses with its reservoir of some of the best intellectual capital in the country, government regulations making it easier to set-up shop, and the best employment numbers in the country.

Such ideal conditions have spurred non-profit organizations like The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) to help the advancement of young and willing next-generation entrepreneurs. TiE helps the South Asian community in the Silicon Valley, and across the country, develop business plans and channel resources to establish individual business houses.

With garage-run, multi-billion dollar deals, such as the latest Google and YouTube marriage as inspiration, pipe dreams can now become a reality for every individual empowered by the Web.

Go get 'em Tigers!

California Bay Area Politics

Ramya Kumaraswamy — Sun, 8 Oct 2006 00:58:26 EDT

"No taxation without representation," "one person, one vote," "the right to self-determination" are all phrases right out of a history textbook. Taken out of historical and geographical context, these phrases can be applicable to any country, any era, and are the founding principles of any legislative process. These phrases embody the fundamental right of a free people to exercise their option in determining the future of their social, economical, and political well-being. So how do these phrases end up remaining just phrases, especially in the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world and more surprisingly, in a country that enjoys almost a 100 percent literacy rate?

Numerous studies, polls, and surveys indicate that different factors come into play in citizens feeling a sense of detachment from their local governmental bodies. Disillusionment with past governments, inaccessibility of governing bodies, and sometimes even a lack of understanding of the legislative process are cited as reasons for the lack of involvement.

I don't understand why Americans of Indian origin are hesitant to get involved in local governments and school boards," says Pragati Grover, vice president of fund raising on the Saratoga Education Foundation. "We can talk the talk and have a vested interest in our communities where our children go to school. The government is not some nameless body far away. Once we start getting involved, the entire process gets demystified. It's just people working with similar people, trying to make our community a better place for everyone."

Diversity and cultural integration are this country's core strengths. Then why is it that South Asian Americans find it so hard to participate and empower their communities?

Group meetings to discuss common community issues, working with the city library boards, inviting city mayors to explain local legislations, and getting local business leaders to address schools and community colleges are some of the ways to get citizens involved. Councilmember Anu Natarajan, who is up for re-election to the seat in the City Council of Fremont cites the recent 50th anniversary of the City of Fremont as one of the success stories of community participation.

"Our communities sense the latent potential and celebrate the diversity of Fremont. The celebrations required tremendous will and determination on the residents' part. But the collective pride in being one of the largest and vibrant cities has helped us work together to make it happen," says Natarajan.

Does a citizen's duty end at registering to vote and exercising the right at the polls? Doesn't it extend beyond that? What about providing leadership to the community instead of expecting others to provide direction? Why do Americans of South Asian origin, extolled for their hard work, tenacity, brain power, and deep pockets, hesitate to get involved in the socio-political sphere?

"Studies have shown that Indians perceive greater race and accent discrimination in educational services rather than in tech services. One reason could be the diversity that is present in tech industries but absent in government or the local school boards and city councils that have a predominant Caucasian population," says Guhapriya Margam, a graduate student of industrial and organizational psychology at the San Jose State University.

"We the immigrants hold this country together," says V.J. Pradhan, legislator of Rockland County and a 10-year veteran local politician from the state of New York. "Asian Americans, and more importantly, Americans of Indian origin, need to move out of their complacency and participate actively in their respective communities. Language is not a barrier and education is certainly not a barrier. So why do we hesitate?"

Deepka Lalwani, member of the Santa Clara Democratic Party and political activist from Milpitas advises budding politicians to start small. "Get involved in your children's school boards, PTAs, local water council, and soccer leagues. There are so many opportunities to participate locally. Once you get your voice heard and gain recognition for your hard work you can start moving towards the next rung in your political career," says Lalwani.

Grover got involved as the PTA president for Argonaut Elementary School. She then became the vice president of fund raising on Saratoga Education Foundation (SEF) Board and helped organize fund-raising activities. She took her organizing skills to work on the Saratoga Library Commission.

"After the library opened its doors, there were many issues that had to be looked into and building projects completed, which is very typical to any newly constructed building. Having internet access in the library, introducing new library programs for kids and adults, and to work with budget cutbacks was a challenge. But getting the job done is a skill that every mother learns early on. It was only a question of putting these skills to use in the right places," says Grover about some of the projects and challenges she has experienced while working in her community.

Kalwant Sandhu, a candidate for the Mountain View City Council started local too. He began by coaching the local soccer team where he helped empower children to believe in their game and learn valuable life skills. After gaining recognition among parents of his soccer league, he was prompted by local residents to apply for the city council post. Sandhu decided to put his business and leadership skills to work for the Mountain View community. With endorsements from the mayor of East Palo Alto, an economically challenged community, as well as the mayor of Los Altos, one of the more affluent communities, Sandhu has quickly earned himself the reputation of being a catalyst in bringing disparate parties to the negotiation table and getting the work done. With a sobriquet of "Sandhu: Can Do" he has a plan for Mountain View called Vision 2020 that gives direction to the fiscal and social landscape of the city such as improvements in water resources, transportation systems, and general administrative issues.

When asked to provide insight to budding politicians and the necessity to participate in local government, Sandhu states, "It is essential to give back to the community we live in. Empower yourself and your communities and don't look elsewhere to seek help and guidance. Our Indian roots give us an added edge of tolerance and sensitivity towards our friends and neighbors. Harness these skills and realize that the roadblocks you will encounter are the same as you will find anywhere else in the world. Follow through with your promises, practice accountability and an open government system, listen to your constituents, and you will find that working with and for the government is the same as any other job."

Running an election campaign requires early preparation, strong strategy and a willingness to be open to public scrutiny.

"Be straight and stand by your word. You have nothing to fear if you do no wrong. Demonstrate sincerity in your work, and your efforts will be recognized. There is no better executive package than seeing your vision for your communities come to fruition," says Pradhan.

Another common mental roadblock that hampers governmental participation is the perceived stigma associated with becoming "too Americanized." Integration into the American hubris does not mean having to give up your Indian roots. It's more an acceptance of the two different cultures and the understanding that one need not go without the other.

"Am I any less Indian? Of course not. But am I more American? Possibly," says Grover, who was elected unopposed, will be sworn into the Saratoga School Board in December. "After living in America for more than 18 years, I'm quite comfortable moving in and out of PTA meetings, soccer practices, and preparing for the children's school prom. I don't know how to make samosas. But should that detract from my Indian roots?" asks Grover.

When asked if her Indian roots played any role in her current campaign, Natarajan admits, "I am first a representative of the people of the City of Fremont, a citizen of United States, and of course am of Indian origin. I don't downplay my Indianness. But I would like to be known, recognized, and elected for the job that I do and the vision for Fremont that I bring to the table. I am excited with the growth prospects for Fremont and confident in seeing it come through."

And Natarajan has been recognized for her capabilities. After successfully completing her first term, she is now gearing up for re-election to the Fremont City Council in November. Her background in architecture and urban design has helped her develop a vision for the city of Fremont. Part of this vision is a plan to drive economic development, create a downtown area, and encourage local, regional, and national businesses to invest in helping Fremont go from being one of the richest suburban cities to becoming one of the richest suburban and urban cities in America.

"Fremont has a very large, diverse community with a unique identity. Businesses are recognizing the potential and are as excited as we are to determine different methods to utilize this potential. We are speaking with our communities. Polls, surveys, focus groups, and informal discussions have helped us develop a multi-pronged approach to make this vision for Fremont a reality."

We need to wake up to the realization that no matter what country or century we live in, unless we have a voice at the table, we will have to make do with the decisions made for us. We have to participate in the political arena as much as we do in the economic arena to ensure equal representation. Why wait for another 9/11 or another immigration crisis before wanting to be heard? Start early. Develop relationships. Foster these relationships and ensure a position at the decision table.

It is prudent to get involved in communities where you live, pay your taxes, build homes and gardens, and ultimately nurture the future of your children.

If Sandhu can do, so can you.

Making College Dreams a Reality

Ramya Kumaraswamy — Sat, 7 Oct 2006 14:14:32 EDT

The post-Enron era brings changes not only in corporate governance on Wall Street, but also an increasing disenchantment for more and more graduating students. No more agonizing over resumes and cracking hard-to-get interviews for them. Instead, many recent graduates find that developing a sound business model and building a successful startup is the way to go.

A recent poll of 1,155 teens by Junior Achievement Worldwide, a Colorado Springs outfit that teaches students about entrepreneurship, revealed that 69 percent want to start a business, an increase of 5 percentage points since last year. And, a Harvard Business School survey found that 67 percent of all MBA students had started their own firm after competing in its business plan competitions.

PrepMe, an online provider of college admissions and test preparation services is the brainchild of three such young entrepreneurs--Karan Goel, Avichal Garg, and Joseph Jewell. Inspiration can strike people at any age, but it takes more than an idea to turn a pipe dream into a functional reality. Witnessing the readiness of fellow students to shell out significant amounts of cash to ensure higher-than-average scores in standardized tests, Goel knew there had to be a better method to the madness of securing a place in one of the top schools in the country.

Increasing competition for fewer seats makes it tougher to get into top schools these days, and even the best high-school students stress over their SAT scores. Goel, co-founder and CEO of PrepMe, however, has always found it easy to excel at standardized tests.

"I was never the smartest guy in class, but for some reason I always did well in standardized tests," said Goel. "I knew then, there had to be a reasoning behind why the smartest kids in school didn't always get a perfect score, while average students aced these tests. It couldn't be just hit or miss."

Curious to solve the puzzle of standardized tests, Goel teamed up with partners Avichal Garg, a recent graduate from Stanford with a B.S. in computer science and Joseph Jewell, who scored a perfect 1600 and co-wrote a book, Up Your Score: The Underground Guide to the SAT. After meeting on the Princeton Review message board in 2001, the trio launched PrepMe, an online SAT-preparation service.

Goel currently heads the management and corporate offices of PrepMe from Chicago and coordinates the development and phasing of this ambitious endeavor with help from Garg, who heads the IT end for the online business from Mountain View, Calif. Jewell became a 2005 Rhodes Scholar and is now earning a master's degree in engineering and science at Oxford University. The young team recruits students from top schools like Stanford and the University of Chicago to tutor their young clients online through email and message boards. Students receive personalized training in their specific areas of weakness, resulting in customized classes aimed at maximizing results within a short time frame.

The burgeoning $6 billion online education market creates room for new players. However, the road to a strong and healthy bottom line is far from easy. PrepMe faces tough rivals in the $700 million-plus test-prep market like Kaplan and Princeton Review that each control about 25 percent of the sector.

Timing, for one, seems to favor PrepMe. The number of students taking the SAT has increased by almost 20 percent in the last five years, according to the College Board that administers the exam. Also, recent changes such as advanced math questions and new personal essay sections has many students frantic to know what these changes mean to their chances of getting into their school of choice.

PrepMe's co-founders say they are confident that both the company's curriculum, based on the test-taking approaches of top scorers, and the use of tutors close in age to their target customers will help differentiate them from their competitors. They spent three years developing their teaching methods, interviewing dozens of recent, high-scoring SAT test-takers and having each write two or three practice questions. The firm also plans to compete on price, charging $500 for its course. Rival companies typically charge $1,000 a course, and tutors command fees of $70-an-hour and up.

PrepMe's efforts have already begun to pay off. With 15-plus staff, including tutors, the company has attracted almost 1,000 clients. In the next few years, PrepMe's founders hope to roll out curricula for additional standardized tests, such as the PSATs. The team is also hard at work on a new technology that will allow its students to prepare for the SAT on the go via cell phones, text messaging, and PDAs.

"We don't sleep ... we live and breathe to find new ways to make PrepMe a success," said co-founder Garg. "We are small, competitive, and flexible; ready to try new approaches to customize PrepMe to suit our small client base. Our size and approach makes us a competitive force in the market where customers have come to us with feedback about how tired they are of prepackaged services."

Long hours, lack of sleep, sheer grit, and belief in the logic of an adaptive learning curve has watered and fed the trio's seed of an idea planted when they were in high school. That seed is now a blossoming plant bearing fruit for its young founders.

Goel was recently awarded the first annual Vashee Promising Entrepreneur Award by the University of Chicago faculty as the most promising entrepreneur of the 2006 graduating class at the Graduate School of Business. He completed his M.B.A. in entrepreneurship and finance at age 21.

"PrepMe is not just about the bottom line. We know what it feels like to pin your hopes on getting into a dream school," said Goel. "With PrepMe we want to make that dream a reality for as many students as we can."